... yeah. [Plenty of commonalities. Death, tragedy. Old memories better left in the minds of those that held them--closely guarded, personal events that are best left as secrets to all but the closest to your heart.

The pause is still lengthy, but he picks up again, his tone still quiet, still awkward. It's strange, but... with this odd common thread--fire and tragedy--he feels a little like sharing.] ... it took me a while to face the fear; it was years before I could cast a proper Fire spell. I kept smelling smoke, feeling the heat, and panicking.

[Which isn't good when trying to master a volatile element like fire. Another pause, and there's something weightier there; not just empathy, but... something else. Something with more weight; he almost doesn't sound like he's only just turned twenty.] It never gets any easier, dealing with the pain of loss; not really. The events might be long past, but the emotions felt then, the memories... they still scar our hearts.

[Otherwise, why would they be dreaming about it?]